Aya Ueto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aya Ueto
上戸 彩
Ueto attending the iPhone 3GS launch event at the SoftBank flagship store, June 2009
Born	(1985-09-14) September 14, 1985 (age 39) Nerima, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Actress singer television personality
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Hiroyuki Igarashi ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Musical career
Genres	Pop pop rock
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Flight Master Pony Canyon
Associated acts	Z-1

Aya Ueto (上戸 彩, Ueto Aya, born September 14, 1985) is a famous Japanese actress, singer, and TV personality. She started her career at a young age. In 1997, she won a special award at the Japan Bishōjo Contest. This helped her join a talent agency called Oscar Promotion. There, she began taking lessons in singing, dancing, and acting.

In 1999, Aya Ueto joined a girl group called Z-1 with other contest participants. The group later broke up in 2002. That same year, Ueto started her solo music career. She released her first song, "Pureness." Since then, she has released five studio albums and many popular songs.

Aya Ueto also started acting in 1999 in a thriller film. In 2001, she appeared in a TV drama called 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei. Her role as a high school student exploring their gender identity was highly praised. This led to many main roles and commercials. She became one of Japan's most recognized faces. She has won several awards for her acting. These include awards for her roles in Ace o Nerae! (2004) and Nagareboshi (2010). She also starred in popular shows like Attention Please (2006) and Hanzawa Naoki (2013).

Aya Ueto also starred in big movies. She played the main character in Azumi (2003). This role earned her a nomination for a Japan Academy Award. She also appeared in the sequel, Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005). Another famous movie she starred in was Thermae Romae (2012).

About Aya Ueto's Early Life

Aya Ueto was born in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. Her father is from Suttsu, Hokkaido, and her mother is from Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. She has an older brother named Shun and a younger brother named Makoto. Even though her family was not wealthy, Aya studied many things. She learned piano, modern ballet, swimming, and gymnastics.

Aya Ueto's Career Journey

Aya Ueto did not always plan to be an entertainer. She first wanted to be a pre-school teacher. After hearing about a friend's experience as an extra on a TV show, she decided she wanted to try acting too. Her mother secretly entered her into the 7th Japan Bishōjo Contest. When she was twelve, Aya won a special jury prize. She later shared that she hoped to win money to buy a house for her family. However, her prize did not include money.

After the contest, Aya Ueto joined Oscar Promotion. She started taking acting and singing lessons. In July 1998, she joined the idol group Z-1. The group appeared on TV shows and released their first song, "Vibe!" in 1999. That same year, Aya got her first movie role in Satsujinsha: Killer of Paraiso. All her lines in this movie were in English.

Becoming a Star: 2000-2005

In 2000, Aya Ueto played a supporting role in the drama Namida o Fuite. This show was very popular and helped her become more known. In 2001, she was featured on the annual Victor Kōshien poster. This poster often helped new stars become famous. Later that year, she played Nao Tsurumoto in the drama 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei. Her role as a student exploring their gender identity made her very famous. She won a Golden Arrow Award for Best Newcomer for this role.

In January 2002, Aya Ueto announced she would start a solo music career. She released her first solo song, "Pureness," in August 2002. It was a big hit, reaching number 4 on the music charts. While filming her first major movie, Azumi, she released her second song, "Kizuna." She also started a radio show called Seventeen's Map.

In early 2003, Ueto starred in a remake of the drama Kōkō Kyōshi. She then released her third song, "Hello," and her first album, Ayaueto. In April 2003, she took a break from school to focus on her career. She later said she was only getting two hours of sleep trying to balance work and school. In May 2003, she went on her first music tour. Her movie Azumi also opened nationwide. Aya Ueto won many awards for her performance in Azumi. She was named Newcomer of the Year at several award shows. She also received a nomination for Best Actress at the Japanese Academy Awards. In July 2003, she got her first main role in a TV drama, Hitonatsu no Papa e.

In January 2004, Aya Ueto starred as Hiromi Oka in the live-action version of the popular manga Ace wo Nerae!. This drama earned her an award for Best Lead Actress. Her song "Ai no Tameni.," which was the theme song for the drama, became her best-selling single. In March 2004, her album Message was released and became her best-selling album. By December 2004, she had many advertising contracts. She was named the "CM Queen" of 2004 for appearing in so many commercials.

In 2005, Ueto appeared in the historical drama Yoshitsune. She also played twin sisters in a remake of the drama Koto. She starred in the sequel to Azumi, called Azumi 2: Death or Love. In April 2005, she starred in another live-action manga adaptation, Attack No. 1. The theme song for this drama, "Yume no Chikara," was another top ten hit for her. She also starred in two TV movies. She went on her second music tour and released her twelfth song, "Kaze wo Ukete." She was also chosen as the mascot girl for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship.

Continuing Success: 2006-2007

In 2006, Aya Ueto celebrated her Coming of Age ceremony. She also worked as a special presenter for the 2006 Winter Olympics. She made a guest appearance as herself in the anime Meitantei Conan. She released her thirteenth song, "Egao no Mama de," and her fourth album, License. Ueto starred in the drama Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi. This was her first time on a Fuji TV drama in six years. She then starred in a remake of the 1970 drama, Attention Please. This became one of her most successful dramas. It even had two special episodes later on. Ueto also starred in the comedy Shimokita Sundays. In September 2006, she released her first collection of hit songs, Best of Uetoaya: Single Collection.

In 2007, Ueto starred in a two-part movie about Yoshiko Ōtaka. In March 2007, she released "Way to Heaven," her first song in over a year. She also made a guest appearance in the drama Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari. In April 2007, Ueto was cast in a remake of the Korean drama Hotelier. The theme song, "Namida no Niji," was released in May 2007. This song was special because it was the first time Ueto helped write the lyrics. She said she felt shy about sharing her feelings before. She went on her third music tour in the summer of 2007. Ueto then starred in the historical drama Wachigaiya Itosato and the Fuji TV drama Abarenbō Mama.

Busy Years: 2008-Present

In 2008, Aya Ueto won the Asakusa Entertainment Newcomer Prize. She starred in her first NTV drama, Hokaben. In August 2008, she became the first actress to have her photos on official postage stamps. She also made a surprise appearance at a fashion show. In October 2008, Ueto starred in her ninth main TV drama role in the comedy Celeb to Binbō Taro. She also attended the premiere of a movie called Sakura no Sono, in which she had a small role. In December 2008, Ueto hosted two big events: the M-1 Grand Prix and the 50th Japan Record Awards.

In January 2009, Aya Ueto launched her first wedding dress collection. She had designed her own tour merchandise before, but this was her first official step into fashion design. A second collection was announced in July 2009. In April 2009, she starred in the drama Konkatsu!. Ueto also co-starred in the animated film, Baton. This movie was made to celebrate the Port of Yokohama's 150th anniversary. It also reunited her with the director of Azumi. In June 2009, after a two-year break, Ueto returned to singing. She released the song "Smile for...," followed by her fifth album, Happy Magic: Smile Project. In November 2009, Ueto co-starred in the TV movie Kekkon.

In 2010, Ueto launched her third and fourth wedding dress collections. She starred in the Fuji TV drama Zettai Reido and made a small appearance in the movie Surely Someday. In August 2010, Ueto starred in her first main role in an NHK drama, Jūnensaki mo Kimi ni Koishite. In September 2010, she played a blind singer-songwriter in the TV movie Ai wa Mieru. Ueto then co-starred in her second Getsuku drama, Nagareboshi. This drama was very popular. Ueto was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and won an award for her role in Nagareboshi. She was also named "CM Queen" for the fifth time, appearing in commercials for 13 different companies.

In February 2011, Ueto launched her fifth wedding dress collection. In July 2011, she returned to her role as detective Izumi Sakuragi for a second season of Zettai Reido. Ueto also appeared in the final episode of the long-running drama Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari. She also starred in the movie version of Thermae Romae (2012). Filming for this movie started in Rome in March 2011.

In 2017, Ueto starred in the movie version of the drama series Hirugao. In 2018, she voiced a character in the movie Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer. In 2023, she appeared in the movie Shylock's Children and The Silent Service. In 2024, she voiced Lulun in Anpanman: Baikinman and Lulun in the Picture Book. She is also set to appear in Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie in 2025 and The Silent Service: The Battle of the Arctic Ocean in 2025.

Aya Ueto's Personal Life

Family Life

Aya Ueto dated Japanese singer and actor Gō Morita for eight years. They broke up in April 2010. In October 2010, it was reported that she was in a relationship with Exile leader Hiro. In September 2012, Aya Ueto announced that she and Hiro got married on her 27th birthday.

Aya and her husband welcomed their first child, a daughter, on August 19, 2015. They had their second child, a son, on July 27, 2019. Their third child, another son, was born on June 22, 2023.

Helping Others

In April 2011, Aya Ueto joined other actors to help people affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. They handed out food and other supplies in Ishinomaki in Miyagi.

Friendships

Aya Ueto is good friends with TV personality and singer Becky. They have appeared on TV together since they met on the morning show Oha Star in 2000.

Music Albums

Here are the studio albums Aya Ueto has released:

• Ayaueto (2003)
• Message (2004)
• Re. (2004)
• License (2006)
• Happy Magic: Smile Project (2009)

Movies and TV Shows

Movies

Key

Denotes the films that have not yet been released

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Satsujinsha: Killer of Paraiso	1999	Hikari
Azumi	2003	Azumi	Won several awards including Newcomer of the Year
Install	2004	Asako Nozawa
Azumi 2: Death or Love	2005	Azumi
Ashita Genki ni Nāre!	2005	Kayōko	Voice role
Piano no Mori	2007	Kai Ichinose	Voice role
Sakura no Sono	2008	Rimi
Baton	2009	Mikaru
Surely Someday	2010	Herself
Thermae Romae	2012	Mami Yamakoshi	Nominated for Best Actress
Oshin	2013	Fuji Tanimura
Bushi no Kondate	2013	Haru Funaki	Nominated for Best Supporting Actress
Thermae Romae II	2014	Mami Yamakoshi
Hirugao: The Movie	2017	Sawa Sasamoto	Nominated for Best Actress
Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer	2018	Kyōko Tachibana	Voice role
Shylock's Children	2023	Airi Kitagawa
The Silent Service		Hiromi Ichiya
Anpanman: Baikinman and Lulun in the Picture Book	2024	Lulun	Voice role
Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie	2025		Cameo appearance
The Silent Service: The Battle of the Arctic Ocean	2025	Hiromi Ichiya

Television Shows

Key

Denotes series that has not yet aired

Japanese Voice Acting Roles

Video Game Voice Roles

Awards and Nominations

Aya Ueto has won many awards for her acting and other talents. Here are some of them:

Film and Television Awards

Other Awards

See also

In Spanish: Aya Ueto para niños